Several FCD players are stepping up their games in the absence of playmaker Mauro Diaz, who suffered a severe Achilles tendon injury last October and won't be back until July at the earliest. Midfield Kellyn Acosta has parlayed a greater attacking role into most consistent games and some promising play for the USA.

If you didn't see it, please check out the excellent story written by my friend and colleague Michael Lewis in the Guardian, harking back 50 years to the launch of the National Professional Soccer League.

Once the U.S. women's players had wrested control of their destinies away from a hired gun, they rather swiftly negotiated a new collective bargaining agreement with U.S. Soccer. Many issues remain to be resolved but in several areas the women made significant gains.

The Union has yet to establish itself as a threat in the Eastern Conference, and after nearly a decade among the Western Conference elite RSL and the Galaxy are beset by problems. These are crucial times.